Girdle



Feb. 15, 1944. E. P. SCRIGGINS GIRDLE Filed Feb. 25, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fbw 1 u P41 MER See: cams A TTORN Y.

Feb. 15, 1944.

E. P. SCRIGGINS 2,341,882

GIRDLE Filed Feb. 25 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 15; 1944 GIRDLE Edwin Palmer Scriggins, East Orange, N. J., as-

signor to Janizen Knitting Mills, Portland, reg., a corporation of Oregon Application February 25, 1942, Serial No. 432,300

Claims.

The present invention relates to new and use ful improvements in undergarments and more particularly to feminine'undergarments known as panty girdles.

Parit girdles as heretofore constructed are in general subject to the objection that they are incapable of increasing in length trunkwise of the wearer to compensate for the increase in the length of the corresponding part of the wearers body when the wearer sits down, without excessive tension of the leg-encircling parts of the girdle adjacent the crotch of the wearer and without introducing various tensioning forces-which cause acute discomfort to the wearer or which cause the girdle or parts thereof to ride up on the wearer's body or to be displaced thereon in one way or another. These objections and disadvantages prevail in panty girdles as heretofore constructed notwithstanding the provision in such girdles of special crotch constructions and elastic inserts which are intended to permit the increase in the length of the girdle trunkwise of the wearer. The primary object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a pant girdle in which the aforesaid objections and disadvantages of the prior art panty girdles are eliminated, this being accomplished by the provision of a parity girdle which is constructed so that when the wearer of the girdle sits down or bends over the necessary increase in length of the girdle trunkwise of the wearer can take place without being impeded by excess tension of the leg-encircling parts or by other tensions or forces, thus to avoid discomfort to the wearer and to prevent the girdle from riding up or being otherwise displaced from its normal position on the wearer. An additional advantage derived from the present invention is that by reason of the construction of the girdle in accordance with this invention it is possible to provide more tension of the body-encircling part of the girdle at the hip line than was here tofore possible without resulting in an uncomfortable increase of said tension when the wearer sits down. To attain this advantage is another object of the invention.

Another object of the invention is to provide a panty girdle with leg-encircling parts which resiliently engage around the upper leg portions of the wearer under a proper degree of tension and yet sufliciently low whereby to improve the comfort of girdles of this type and at the same time to avoid the formation of bulges in portions of the wearer's body in the region of the girdle where the leg-encircling parts are joined to the body-encircling part of the girdle. This object of the invention is directed more especially in reference to a girdle which has a body-encircling part that is resiliently stretchable circumferentially of the wearer for compressing and molding the underlying parts of the wearers bodyfor which purpose said body-encirclin part is placed under tension which is considerably greater than the tension under which the leg-encirclin parts should be placed. The construction of the present invention provides for the proper diiferential of tension in respect to the body-encircling part and the leg-encircling parts whereby to avoid an abrupt change in tension between said parts at and adjacent the line of juncture therebetween, thereby to obviate bulging of the parts of the Wearers body in the regions where the legencircling parts are joined to the body-encircling part. I

A further object of the invention is generally to provide a panty girdle of improved construction especially in reference to the comfortable fit of the girdle on the wearer and in reference to the construction of the girdle in such manner that it constitutes a well fitting and smooth foundation for outer garments.-

The construction of the panty girdle embodying the present invention, and .the above mentioned and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from thefollowing description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative draw ings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a parity girdle embodying the present invention, as it appears on the wearer;

Fig. 2 i a rear perspective view 'of the panty girdle shown in Fig. 1, as it appears on the wearer;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the several parts of the girdle;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the several parts of the girdle;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the girdle the front panel being incompletely attached;

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of the girdle; and

Fig. 7 is' a rear perspective view thereof.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the" panty girdle l0 embodying the present invention comprises a body-encircling and compressing Dart adapted to extend downwardly from the waist of the wearer and over the latters buttocks and hips. Said body-encircling and compressing part comprises a centrally and vertically disa central and vertically disposed rear panel I8. A waist band 20 is provided at the upper edge of said body-encircling part and as here shown is preferably provided with a plurality of short stays or stiffening members 22. Also, stays 23 are provided at the upper part of the front panel. Front panel I2 is secured at its opposite side edges to the adjacent side edges. respectively, of adjacent side panels I4 and I8 and at its upper edge portions is stitched to the adjacent edges, respectively, of band 28. The rear panel I8 is secured at its upper edge to the adjacent lower edge portion of band 20 and at its opposite side edges to the adjacent side edges of side panels I4 and I8, respectively. It will be understood that the securernent between the parts hereinbefore mentioned is provided by means of looping or stitching which allows for the resilient stretch of said parts as may be necessary. Side panels I4 and I8 are preferably formed of elastic fabric which is resiliently stretchable in the direction around the body of the wearer as indicated by the arrows and which may also be stretchable in a direction longitudinally of the wearer. The fabric of panels I4 and I8 is preferably woven but can be knitted. Panels I2 and I8 are formed of elastic fabric, preferably woven, which is resiliently stretchable in the direction of the length of the wearer as shown by the arrows and which is preferably non-stretchable transversely of the wearer, whereby said panels I2 and I8, when subjected to lateral tension by side panels I4 and I6, tend to flatten the underlying portions of the wearers body. Band 20 is formed of elastic fabric, preferably knitted and is stretchable in the direction cireumferentially of the wearer. The main features of the invention reside in the crotch construction of the girdle and the construction of the leg-encircling parts in relation to each other and to the body-encircling part of the girdle, and these features of the invention will now be described.

The crotch part 24 is provided by the lower end portion 24 of rear panel I8, and the leg-en.. circling parts are provided by members 26 and by the laterally spaced lower portions 28 of front panel I2. Leg members 28 are formed of elastic fabric, preferably knitted, and are resiliently stretchable in the direction around the wearers legs as indicated by the arrows, but more easily resiliently stretchable than panels l4 and I8 in a corresponding direction, that is, around the hips of the wearer. It will be observed that the spaced lower end portions 28 of front panel I2 provide said panel with a lower bifurcated portion. Said spaced portions 28 are set into and form portions of the leg-encircling parts, each being stitched at its opposite sideedges to the adjacent side edges 30 of the companion leg-encircling member 28 whereby the leg-encircling parts are peripherally continuous. The inner edge 32 of the bifurcated portion of panel I2 extends upwardly beyond the upper edges 34 of members 28, and the lower concave edge 38 (Fig. 4) of panel I8 is stitched to the arched portion 38 of said inner edge 32 of panel I2. Said top edges 34 are secured, as by looping or stitching which does not interfere with the resilient stretchability of the secured parts, to the lower edges 40 and 42 of adjacent side panels I4 and I8, respectively, and to the adjacent side edge portion 44 of the opposite side edges 48 of rear panel I8, thus posed front panel I2, side panels l4 and I8 and girdle and to provide the latter with a complete- 1y closed crotch portion.

Panels I2, I4. I8 and I8 are preferably shaped as illustrated in Fig. 4 in order best to accomplish the. desired objects of the invention. It will be observed that side panels I4 and I8 have inclined edges 48, whereby said panels increase progressively in width from top to bottom. Said edges 48 are stitched to longitudinally extending major portions of adjacent side edges 48 of rear panel I8, the other side edges 58 of panels I4 and I6 being stitched to the adjacent side edges 52. respectively, of front panel-I2. Referring now more particularly to the attachment of side edges 48 of rear panel I8 to side panels I4 and I8 and to leg members 28, it will be observed that the lower part of each side edge 48 of said panel is stitched to the top edge of an adjacent leg member 28. More specifically, the part of each edge 48 from the point A to the point B is stitched to an adjacent edge 48 of an adjacent side panel and the remaining part of each side edge 48 of panel I8, that is, from point B to point C is stitched to a part of the top edge 34 of the adjacent leg part 28 (see Fig. 7). points C at the lower-ends of edges 48, being located at points D of adjacent ends of companion leg parts 26 and edge portions 44 each extending inwardly from point D of said companion leg part.

By means of the above described crotch construction the increase in the length of the garment, trunkwise of the wearer, that is, from a point above the crotch part of the wearer and from said point along a line between the wearrs legs rearwardly and upwardly to a point at the back of the wearer, can take place due to the resilient stretchability of panels I2 and I8, and

at the same time the leg-encircling parts of the girdle adjacent the lower body-encircling part can stretch easily enough to accommodate the increase in the girths of the upper leg parts which occurs when the wearer of the girdle is seated. Panels I2 and I8 are more easily stretchable than side panels I4 and I8. This ease of resilient stretchability of lower portion 24 of rear panel 18 in the direction circumferentially of the legs of the wearer permits the circumferential yieldability of the lower edge of the bodyenclrcling part and of the leg-encircling parts adjacent the lower edge of the body-encircling part and substantially eliminates or greatly reduces the generation of a force which might tend to counteract the proper degree of stretchability of the garment in such a direction as to interfere with said increase in length of the garment trunkwise of th wearer.

It will be observed that each portion 28 of panel I2 has a downwardly tapering width. The purpose of this is to introduce in the leg-encircling parts a tension gradient whereby the tension of said leg-encircling parts on the upper leg parts of the wearer decreases progressively from the line of juncture of said leg-encircling parts with the lower edge of the body-encircling part, that to complete thebifurcated construction 01 he is, in a direction downwardly from the lower edges of side panels and I 8. Thus, while the tension at the upper edge portions of the legencircling parts is sufficiently low so as not to oppose the resilient stretch of the crotch and adjacent portions of the girdle trunkwise of the wearer, said upp r edge portions have the proper degree of tension whereby to obviate an .abrupt change in tension at the lower edge portion of the body-encircling part of the girdle which would result in bulging of the underlying parts of the wearers body. At the same time, the leg-encircling parts do not tightly compress the legs of the wearer.

Thus it is seen that the above described construction is well adapted to accomplish the purpose of this invention. It will be understood, however, that the embodiment herein disclosed is susceptible of various modifications. For example, it is not essential that either the.front or the rear panel be madein one piece, although this is preferred, and similarly it is not essential that either of said panels be longitudinally stretchable throughout their respective lengths, it being sulficient that said panels be stretchable longitudinally from a point above the crotch at the front of the garment to a point below the top of the rear panel to permit the stretch required for the necessary increase in the trunkwlse length as described above. As these and other modifications may be made in, the illustrated-,embodiment' and as the invention can be embodied otherwise than as herein shown or described, I do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown or described except to the extent 4 which may be required by the scope of the ap'-.

pended claims.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I tically disposed front panel, the lower end of said front panel having a centrally disposed concavely curved edge, the lower end portion of said back panel extending forwardly between said leg portions and being resiliently stretchable from front to rear and secured to said lower concavely curved edge of the front panel along a line extending transversely of the girdle at the front thereof adjacent the upper portion of said crotch part.

2. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part, resiliently stretchable leg-encircling parts and a crotch part, said body and crotch parts together comprising a centrally and vertically disposed back panel and a centrally and vertically disposed front panel, said front panel having a bifurcated lower part comprising laterally spaced portions set into said leg parts and forming parts thereof, respectively, the inner edge of said bifurcated portion extending upwardly along a concave line beyond the tops of said leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, said back panel having a resiliently stretchable lower end portion the opposite side edges of which are secured to upper circumferentially extending edge portions of said leg parts and stretchable therewith, respectively, and having an edge portion secured to said upwardly extending inner edge portion of said bifurcated part.

3. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part, resiliently stretchable leg-encircling parts and a crotch part, said body and crotch parts together comprising a centrally and vertically disposed back panel and a centrally and vertically disposed front panel, said front panel having a part adapted to overlie the wearer's abdomen and laterally spaced portions integral with and extending downwardly from said abdomen-overlying part and providing said front panel with a central bifurcated lower portion, said laterally spaced portions being set into said leg parts and forming parts thereof,'respectively, the inner edge of said bifurcated portion being upwardly concave and extending upwardly beyond the tops of said leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, said back panel having a lower end portion the opposite side edges of which are secured to upper peripherally extending edge portions of said. leg parts, respectively, said lower end portion being .resiliently stretchable from front to rear and circumferentially of said leg parts, respectively, and having an edge secured to said upwardly concave edge of said bifurcated part.

4. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part extending downwardly from the waist and over the hips and buttocks and over the abdomen of the wearer, said body-encircling part having laterally elastic side'panels and back and front panels secured at their opposite side edges to the adjacent side edges, respectively, of said side panels, said front panel having a lower centrally disposed upwardly concave edge, said back panel having a lower end portion projecting forwardly from the back of the girdle to the front thereof in position to overlie the crotch of the wearer and secured at its lower edge to said con- -cave edge of said front panel, said lower end portion being resiliently stretchable from front to=i rear, and clrcumferentially elastic leg parts having their upper edges secured to said lower end portion of said back panel, said leg parts extending downwardly below the crotch and adap ed to resiliently engage around the wearer's thighs.

5. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part extending downwardly from the waist and over the hips and buttocks and over the abdomen of the wearer, said body-encircling part having laterally elastic side panels and'back and front panels secured at their opposite side edges to the adjacent side edges, respectively, of said side panels, said back panel having a lower end portion projecting forwardly from the back of the girdle to the front thereof in position to overlie the crotch of the wearer and secured at its lower edge to the lower part of said front panel, said lower end portion of said back panel being resiliently stretchable from front to rear, and circumferentially elastic leg parts having their upper edges secured to the lower edges of said side panels and to the opposite side edges, respectively, of said lower end portion of said back panel, said leg parts extending downwardly below the crotch and adapted to resiliently engage around the wearers thighs, said front panel having a bifurcated lower part comprising laterally spaced portions set into said leg parts and forming parts thereof, respectively, the inner edge of said bifurcated portion extending upwardly beyond the tops of said-leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, the securement of said loweredge of the back panel to said front panel being at said upwardly extending inner edge ofsaid bifurcated part.

6. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part extending downwardly from the waist and over the hips and buttocks and over the abdomen of the wearer, said body-encircling part having laterally elastic side panels and back and lie the crotch of the wearer and secured at its lower edge to the lower part of said front panel, said lower end portion of said back panel being resiliently stretchable from front to rear, and circumferentially elastic leg parts having peripherally extending upper edge portions thereof secured to the opposite side edges, respectively, of said lower end portion of said back panel, said leg parts extending downwardly below the crotch and adapted to resiliently engage around the wearers thighs, said front panel having a bifurcated lower part comprising laterally spaced portions set into said leg parts and forming parts thereof, respectively, the inner edge of said hifurcated portion extending upwardly beyond the tops of said leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, the securement of said lower edge of the back panel tosaid front panel being at said upwardly extending inner edge of said bifurcated part, the circumferential stretch of said leg portions being resiliently easier than the lateral stretch of said side panels.

7. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part extending downwardly from the waist and over the hips and buttocks and over the abdomen of the wearer, said body-encircling part having laterally elastic side panels and back and front panels secured at their opposite side edges to the adjacent side edges. respectively, of said side panels, said back panel having a lower end portion projecting forwardly from the back of the girdle to the front thereof in position to overlie the crotch of the wearer and secured, at its lower edge to the lower part of said front panel, said lower end portion of said back panel being resiliently stretchable from front to rear, and circumferentially elastic leg parts having peripherally extending upper edge portions thereof secured to the opposite side edges, respectively, of said lower end portion of said back panel, said leg parts extending downwardly below the crotch and adapted to resiliently engage around the wearers thighs, the circumferential stretch of said leg portions being resiliently easier than the lateral stretch of said side panels.

8. A pantylgirdle comprising a body-encircling I part, leg-encircling parts and a crotch part, said body-encircling and crotch parts together comprising a centrally and vertically disposed back panel and a centrally and vertically disposed front panel, thelower end of said front panel having an upwardly concave edge, the lower end portion of said back panel extending forwardly between said leg portions and secured at its lower edge to said concave edge of the front panel along a line extending transversely of the girdle at the front thereof adjacent the upper portion of said crotch part, said lower end portion of of, respectively, the inner edge of said bifurcated portion extending upwardly beyond the tops of said leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, said back panel having a lower end portion the opposite side edges of which are secured to upper edge portions of said leg parts, respectively, and having a lower edge secured to said' upwardly extending inner edge portion of said bifurcated part, said lower end portion of said back panel being resiliently stretchable from front to rear, said body-encircling part and said leg-encircling parts being circumferentially elastic, the circumferential stretch of said leg parts being resiliently easier than the circumferential stretch of said body-encircling part.

10. A panty girdle comprising a body-encircling part,leg-encircling parts and a crotch part, said body and crotch parts together comprising a centrally and vertically disposed back panel and a centrally and vertically disposed front panel, said panels being resiliently stretchable in a vertical direction, said front panel having a part adapted to overlie the wearer's abdomen and laterally spaced portions integral with and extending downwardly from said abdomen-overlying part and providing said front panel with a central bifurcated lower portion, said laterally spaced portions being set into said leg parts and forming parts thereof, respectively, the inner edge of said bifurcated portion extending upwardly beyond the tops of said leg parts adjacent the crotch part of the girdle, said back panel having a lower end portion the opposite side edges of which are secured to upper edge.

EDWIN PALMER SCRIGGINS. 

